Stand Together
by Lets Do That Again
Summary: Jotaro didn't want this life for his family, especially his daughter. But, fate seems to like making the Joestar line suffer.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The Start of Something Beautiful

 **Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is the property of Hirohiko Araki…I'm not even going to try and mention all the owners of whatever songs are used.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

 **Line Break**

"P-Papa works here?"

Dolly smiled softly, reaching down and gently stroking her daughter's head. "It's not that scary, Jolyne."

A scowl immediately replaced the young girl's uneasy frown, "I'm not scared!"

Dolly kneeled, gently kissing Jolyne's forhead, "Of course not, sweetheart. You're the bravest little girl in the world!"

Jolyne smiled brightly at that, showing off the small gap in her bottom teeth.

Briefly, Dolly felt a stab of anger towards Jotaro. He'd never been the most…attentive man, but she'd be damned if he thought that he was going to ignore their daughter!

But she didn't dwell on those thoughts, instead rising to her feet and taking Jolyne's hand in her own, walking towards the front door of the Speedwagon Foundation's Florida headquarters.

Jolyne stuck a tad closer as the automatic doors parted, revealing how busy the ground floor was. Dolly herself had been here a few times, and even she was surprised at the sheer amount of people running to-and-fro.

But she didn't let that stop her from making her way to the front desk—even if Jolyne dragged her feet a bit.

Thankfully, one of the secretary's—a young blond man—had just put down a phone. He started to slouch in his seat, until he noticed them approaching the desk.

"Good afternoon," he said, with a hint of a smile, "What can the Speedwagon Foundation do for you today?"

Dolly smiled politely back, "Could you please let Jotaro Kujo know that we're heading up to see him."

The man nodded, reaching for a phone, "And who's going up to meet him?"

"His wife and daughter."

The man stills, astonishment clear on his face.

Dolly's smile slowly dipped down. Surely, they must know?

Evidently not, given the way the many stretched back and tapped another secretary on the shoulder, "Does Mr. Kujo have a family?" he whispered, badly.

Fortunately for his health, Jolyne was too busy staring at the murals on the walls and ceiling to pay attention to the conversation.

Without turning, the other secretary moved her phone speaker back, "Of course. Mr. Joestar."

"No, I mean a wife and child."

That made the woman pause, jerking her head to look at Dolly and Jolyne. She blinked, "I'm sorry, can you hold please?" she said to whomever was on the other line, before ending the call.

She leaned over conspiratorially, "…I don't remember him ever mentioning a wife and kid."

"To be fair, he doesn't mention anything personal."

"Sure, but you'd think he'd say he's married, for a few years now, at least."

"Yes, you'd think so," Dolly muttered darkly.

"Unless the kid's his step-child."

"She's his daughter," Dolly stated firmly.

The force in her voice forced the two secretaries back in their seats. "…She might be telling the truth."

"Yeah, who'd lie about being married to _him_?"

Before Dolly could really give the two assholes in front of her a piece of her mind, a man slammed his hands down on the desk, "Why the hell aren't you two answering calls?!"

Jolyne yelped at the sudden noise, prompting Dolly to bend down assuage her fears.

The two secretaries cried out, "Sorry boss! This woman and her kid, they, um…" he trailed off.

The man rolled his eyes, turning his head and smiling at Dolly and her daughter, "I'm terribly sorry, Miss. How can we help you today?"

Dolly nodded, smoothing out her skirt, "I'd like to go and visit my husband. He works here," she added, cringing lightly as she did so.

The man sidled the secretaries a glare, "I see…And who's your husband?"

"Jotaro Kujo."

The man's irritated expression was replaced by bewilderment, only for that to quickly make way for recognition, "Ah! Mrs. Kujo! I never thought I'd see you—or your daughter," he added, flashing a warm smile at Jolyne, who further hid behind her mother's legs, "in the flesh."

Dolly frowned, "'In the flesh'?"

The man shrugged, "I've only ever seen your photo on his desk."

Dolly couldn't help but smile at the fact that her husband kept a photo of them on his desk—he tended to be very spartan with his space.

The man gestured to the elevators, "Come with me, I'll lead you to his office."

Dolly thanked the man, as did Jolyne, after a little prompting.

They were the only occupants of the elevator, riding up to the 14th floor, as it were.

Dolly tried not to let the fact that she didn't even know the _floor_ her husband worked on get to her.

"So…you work with Papa?" Jolyne suddenly asked.

The man shook his head, "Well, not directly. But we cross path enough for me to know that he's a very good man. Wonderful work ethic."

"Bit too wonderful," Dolly grumbled.

"Hmm, Mama?" Jolyne asked. Dolly just smiled, gently petting her head.

"Ah, here we are," the man said as the elevator dinged, doors opening.

He led them down a fairly empty hallway. The man said, "It's rare for this part of the building to be bustling like downstairs. Most everyone travels, as I'm sure you know," he said with a smile.

Dolly nodded but couldn't bring herself to smile back.

They finally made it to Jotaro's office—a corner office. The man knocked on the door, "Mr. Kujo!" he knocked again, "Mr. Kujo, your wife and daughter are here!"

When there was no reply, Jolyne sadly said, "Daddy's probably too busy."

Before Dolly could say anything, the man waved his hand with a chuckle, "Nonsense, what man's too busy for his family?"

If he noticed the heavy silence that followed the statement, he didn't say anything.

After another series of knocks, he shrugged, "Guess he stepped out for a minute."

Dolly nodded, that figured. "We'll just wait downstairs."

"Nonsense!" he stated, fishing out a keyring from his pocket, "You can wait right inside," he picked out one key shaking it with a smile.

Dolly frowned, "You have a key to his office?"

"Better," he said as he unlocked the door, "I've a Skeleton Key for the entire floor."

"'Skelton Key', what's that?" Jolyne asked.

He smiled, bending down to show Jolyne the key, "This little guy can unlock every single door in the floor."

Jolyne stared wide-eyed at the item, "All of them?"

He nodded, giving Jolyne the keyring. She handled it with awe.

He stood, smiling at Dolly, "Kids, huh?" he said, opening the door for them.

Dolly smiled back, patting Jolyne's shoulder, "Okay sweetie, give Mr…" she blinked, "I'm sorry, I don't think you ever gave me your name?"

The man laughed, "You know, I don't think I did." He extended his hand, "Lincoln Park."

Dolly accepted the offered limb, "Thank you, Mr. Park."

"Anytime." He bent down, taking back his keys from Jolyne. He pet her head, "Tell your Papa I said hello!"

Jolyne smiled brightly, nodding and responding affirmatively as Mr. Park walked away.

Entering the room revealed to be every as bare as Dolly suspected. Well, except for the pictures lining a desk along the wall. And—

"Ooh! What's that?" Jolyne said, already walking towards a package resting on her father's desk.

Dolly, walking towards the photos herself, called out, "Don't touch it Jolyne. I doubt Papa would be happy if you messed with his things."

Jolyne pouted, "Alright," she glumly stated, walking past the desk to look out the window.

Satisfied with her work, Dolly returned her attention to the photographs. The first one was a picture of his mother, Holy. Such a sweet woman. It was always a wonder how Jotaro turned out the way he did living under her roof.

Beside that photo was one of his grandparents, Joseph Joestar and…Suzie Q, that's it. She'd only met them once, but they seemed like decent folk—if filthy rich and unreasonably hateful towards Japanese culture (well, that one only applied to Joseph).

The next photo lifted her spirits considerably. It was one of their family. Ah, she remembered the day like it was yesterday. Driving down to the photographers, dressing up little Jolyne in all sorts of adorable outfits! The one that stuck was actually Jotaro's choice, an orange starfish that only left Jolyne's face unobstructed. He ending up holding her in his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

She chuckled, remembering how the photographer kept on trying to get Jotaro to give him a wide, toothy smile. It didn't happen, obviously, but Dolly recognized the small crease in his lips that was his smile.

The last picture threw her for a loop, however.

It was a younger Jotaro, standing in what looked like a desert, along with four men and a dog. She only recognized two of the other men; Joseph, rocking what seemed to be an Indiana Jones costume, and Polnareff, the best man at their wedding. She had no idea who the red-haired boy and the dark-skinned man (or the dog) were, but they must have been important, since the photo was here.

But then, why had he never mentioned them before? In fact, why had she never see—

"AAAAAAHHH!"

Dolly dropped the photo, "Jolyne!" she cried, rushing over to her daughter.

Jolyne was curled up on the floor, trembling and gasping in pain, just in front of Jotaro's desk, an open box on its side beside her.

Dolly hissed, bending down and gathering her daughter in her arms, "Jolyne! What did I tell you?"

Jolyne said nothing, only gasping and moving further into Dolly's chest.

Dolly clicked her tongue, shifting Jolyne in her lap, "C'mere, let me see the damage."

But Jolyne still said nothing.

Dolly's breath caught in her throat, "Jolyne…Jolyne…answer me!"

Her eyes roamed Jolyne's body, stopping as she saw something poking out from her hands—which were held tight against her chest.

Licking her lips, Dolly said, "Jolyne, open your hands."

Slowly, Jolyne did so, and relief swept through Dolly's being, "Oh, thank goodness!" she said reaching down, "Just an arrowhead." She turned a smile to her daughter, "It's okay sweetie, it's just a little cu—AGH!"

Dolly jerked her head down, eyes widening as the arrowhead had moved, sinking into her palm.

She tried to keep her breath steady—keep her daughter from further panic—even as her vision started to darken, but she could not hope to hold back the shriek that tore through her lips.

" **ORA!** "

Dolly turned, falling back as the door exploded off its hinges, revealing her husband, Mr. Park, and an unknown, third figure standing just behind them.

That was all she saw, before she blacked out.

 **A/N: So, does Jotaro's wife have an official name? Otherwise I'm sticking with Dolly (as in 'Dolly Parton'). Anyway, decided to try my hand at this after going through 'Eyes of Heaven' again. Also, I'm not sure if Polnareff was actually Jotaro's best man, but considering the fact that Jotaro's…Jotaro, I doubt there's anyone else capable of filling the slot. I mean, there's Joseph, but that's weird, even for the Joestars. Unless of course they had a Japanese style wedding at Holy's insistence. Course, that would mean the Joseph wouldn't have attended, what with his burning hatred of all things Japanese (except for their college women that are younger than his daughter). I'm rambling. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Make Me Wanna Shout

 **Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is the property of Hirohiko Araki…I'm not even going to try and mention all the owners of whatever songs are used.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

 **Line Break**

Dolly groaned, slowly coming to. She felt weak, disoriented, cold, but above all else, she was _sore_. Like she got flattened by a steamroller.

 _Beep…Beep…Beep_

She grunted, Jotaro must have gotten a new alarm. She then frowned, something about Jotaro tickling the front of her mind.

Her eyes shot open as the previous day's events rushed forward. She shot up, crying out, "Jolyne!" only to hiss as she felt something—multiple something's, actually—pull painfully on her arms.

"She's fine," her husband's smooth, deep voice sounded from her side.

Dolly jerked her head, her momentary terror dissipating at the sight of Jolyne calmly sleeping on a hospital bed, Jotaro sitting on a chair just beside her. Only for it to come roaring back at the sight of tubes and wires attached to her arms and chest, leading to machines monitoring her heartrate and whatever else doctors used them for.

She cleared her throat, "Where…where are we?"

Jotaro—his new white coat and hat hanging on a coat rack, leaving him in white pants and a black shirt—didn't look up from Jolyne, nervously running a hand through his hair, "A Speedwagon Foundation hospital." He gently brushed aside her hair, eyes heavy with emotion. And then he turned to face her, and his eyes took on a familiar annoyed crease, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Dolly blinked. Did he really just…? She was silent for a long moment, processing his statement. Finally, she uttered a quick, unbidden, "Fuck you."

Jotaro jerked back, his anger fiving way to pure astonishment. Dolly was shocked herself. She hadn't uttered that particular swear—well, in that context, at least—since before Jolyne was born. But…it felt good, wiping Jotaro's usually stoic glare off his face, no matter the circumstance.

"W-What?" he stammered.

Taking a moment to make sure Jolyne was still asleep, Dolly set her shoulders. "Yeah, you heard me, Jotaro. Fuck. You." She seethed, "You don't _get_ to talk to me about taking Jolyne safe, not after how you've been acting."

He regained his composure, "I _am_ her father."

Dolly scoffed, "Okay then, Mr. _Father_ , did you know that Jolyne finally lost her bottom tooth?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, but the quick glance he sent towards their daughter spoke wonders.

"No, why would you." She sneered, "You're out on 'business trips' for weeks on end, and what days you are home you spend at work!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Dolly kept going. "You know, her school had a 'Bring Your Father to School' day last Thursday."

Jotaro's bewildered expression returned

"Oh, did she not tell you? Hmm," she rested her left elbow in her right hand, tapping her cheek, "I wonder why?" She gasped dramatically, "Oh, I know! It's because she believes you're too busy for her to bother!"

Her husband's eyes gained a sad gleam, but she shoved aside any guilt and empathy in favor of finally letting loose.

"I," she swallowed thickly, "…What the _hell_ happened Jotaro? You used to be so…good!" she swept her hands as high as they could, "You were around, played with Jolyne, payed attention to m—us," she hastily corrected—this was about Jolyne, not her. "But then," she leaned forward, resting her arms on the edge of the bed, which turned out to be the wrong thing to do. "Yo—wah!" she cried, arms still too weak to actually support her weight.

Her head pitched forward, giving her a great view of the floor, but an arm wrapping around her waist prevented her from falling on her face.

She sighed, an embarrassed flush creeping up her face. She turned her head up, "Thanks, Jotar—AAH!"

The arm wrapped around her waist was not, as she previously thought, attached to her husband. Instead, it was attached to some…thing she'd never seen before.

It looked like a man—a very beefy man—with a stoic stare very much like Jotaro's. His—its?—skin…it was a myriad of purples and blues, with yellow lines going down its arms and...he, it—it, there was no way this thing could be human— didn't have any legs. It had a loincloth over its crotch—and, to her mild disgust, nothing else—but its legs ended just above the knees. Unable, and unwilling, to think on this latest impossibility, she lifted her head up, observing its face. It wore a golden circlet around its head, its hair as dark as the night sky and flowing upward, defying gravity. But the most startling part about it were its eyes. They…they were the exact same shade as Jotaro's, burning with the same intensity.

"Hmm," Jotaro sighed sadly—no, not quite that. Sad was how he sounded when his father died. This…this was closer to despondency. "You can see it."

Dolly jerked her head between Jotaro and this mysterious 'it' as 'it' laid her back in the hospital bed. "Wha—Jotaro, who is this? What is this? Where'd it come from? Why doesn't it have any legs? Why is it blue?!"

Jotaro pat huffed, standing up and walking forward, stopping right beside the blue…ghost, she supposed.

Suddenly, it moved to the side, phasing _through_ Jotaro and ending up on his opposite side, expression on its face never changing. Before Dolly could voice her alarm, Jotaro gestured to the ghost, "This…is「Star Platinum」. A Stand. My Stand," he added.

Dolly blinked, her previous anger set aside in favor of utter bafflement. "'Your Stand'? H-How long have you had it?"

Jotaro shrugged, "Since I was seventeen." As he said that, Star Platinum moved to the side, once more phasing into her husband, but this time disappearing into him.

Dolly gulped, "And how—wait, does this have anything to do with that arrowhead that," she blanched, "stabbed us?"

Jotaro grunted, crossing his arms, "That's how you," he grimaced, looking at Jolyne, "both of you I suppose, got your Stands, but not me."

"Then how—"

Suddenly, the door to the room opened. A bald, dark-skinned doctor holding a clipboard walked in, "Ah, Mrs. Kujo, you're awake."

"Dr. Kearne," Jotaro said. He then turned slightly towards Dolly, narrowing his gaze and frowning lightly.

Dolly exhaled through her nose, nodding; they'd table the discussion until after the doctor left.

He finished his examination fairly quickly, only taking a long bit of time to observe the scar the arrowhead left on her palm, mumbling about how strange it was.

As the doctor stood, Dolly rubbed her thumb across her scarred hand; it did feel strange, not like scar tissue how should have feel.

"Now, let's move on to the little one, hmm?" the doctor suddenly stated.

Dolly gasped, sitting up, only to wince as, once again, her skin was tugged back in various places.

Dr. Kearne held up a hand, "Easy, easy." He pursed his lips, "…You can take off everything but the IV for now, but before I leave I'm going to put them back on."

Dolly nodded hurriedly, tear-ing off the wires stickered to her chest. She swung her legs to the side, reaching over to grab the IV stand. Her bare feet touching the cold floor sent a shiver up her spine, which wasn't helped by the fact that her legs wobbled a bit as she rose.

Just then, there was a flash of black to her left, and she felt a warm, strong arm loop behind her, gently gripping her waist.

She smiled, looking up at her husband's stoic, handsome visage. In spite of everything else—the arrowhead, waking up in a hospital, that weird Stand thing—it felt right, having him next to her.

Quickly, she leaned up, planting a chaste kiss on his jawline.

He stiffened, a small blush forming on his cheeks. He grumbled something under his breath, reaching his hand up to tip his hat, only to pause, remembering that it wasn't on his head. He then blushed further, tightening his grip on her waist and urging her forward.

Dolly giggled; but her good mood died as she stood before their daughter.

She didn't even look all that sickly. But standing before her—her hair undone and loose on her shoulders, tiny chest rhythmically rising and falling—broke Dolly in more ways than one.

She bent down, sitting on the edge of the bed, gently squeezing Jolyne's hand as the doctor checked over both her and the machines she was hooked up to. After a few minutes, Dr. Kearne nodded, "She's stable."

"Then why hasn't she woken up?" Jotaro asked.

The doctor shrugged, "In my personal opinion, it's just to do with the fact that she's younger. I know people think the young 'heal faster' but it's all relative." She just needs rest." He glanced down at his watch, grunting, "Is there anything else?" When Dolly and Jotaro shook their heads, he nodded, "I'll send a nurse up with a couple menus for meals." With that, Dolly, without Jotaro's help this time around—not that it stopped him from hovering behind her—want back to her bed, letting the doctor hook her back up to the various machines. He left with a reassuring smile on his lips, gently closing the door behind him.

Dolly eyed the wires with distaste, "So…Stands?"

Jotaro nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Right…Simply put, they're the manifestation of a person's soul."

Dolly blinked, "So…the inner Jotaro is a blue-skinned muscleman?"

He grunted amusedly. There was a flash of light, and his Stand, Star Platinum, burst up from his back. The spirit hovered over the two of them, staring down with blank, impassive eyes. "More like…Star Platinum is a close-range, combat Stand."

Star Platinum grunted, bringing he fists to his side. He then cried, " **OraOraOra**!" and his arms burst forward, punching so fast that his arms were blurs.

Dolly stared wide-eyed, "And…I can do that too?"

Jotaro shrugged, Star Platinum disappearing into his body once more, "Maybe. Some Stands are similar to one another, but I doubt whatever your Stand is will be exactly like Star Platinum."

Dolly hummed, staring down at her torso. "Are there…other's that have Stands?"

Jotaro hesitated, before slowly nodded, "Anyone can have a Stand, but not everyone does. You can either be born with one, or—as we've recently discovered—gain one through that arrowhead."

"But," Dolly shook her head, "How do you know I even I have one?" She looked around, "I don't see it anywhere."

"The fact that you can see Star Platinum means that you have a stand." At her questioning stare, he elaborated, "The only people that can see Stands are those with Stands themselves," he frowned, "with a couple exceptions."

Dolly considered that statement. It made sense; if everyone were able to see Stands, they'd be common knowledge.

A thought then flashed to life in her mind. "Hey, Jotaro," he grunted, "do…do we know anyone else that has a Stand."

Jotaro nodded, "My grandfather, Joseph, has one. As does my mother."

"Really?" Dolly exclaimed. "I can't imagine either of them having something like Star Platinum."

Jotaro chuckled, "Well, they don't." He straightened slightly, "Joseph's Stand is called 「Hermit Purple」. It's a bunch of thorny purple vines that sprout from his hands, lets him channel Hamon."

"Hamon?" Dolly parroted.

Jotaro shrugged, "I don't know. Never really cared enough to ask." There was something in his voice that told Dolly he wasn't being entirely truthful. Before she could question him, however, he continued. "My mother's Stand is similar to Hermit Purple. But…she doesn't really use her it; in fact, I don't think she's even named it."

Dolly blinked, "Well, why not?"

Jotaro's expression grew pained for a second—if she'd blinked, she'd have missed it. He then said, "She never really saw a need to."

He was avoiding the question, like her previous one, but Dolly was willing to let it slide. For now.

She pursed her lips, "…What about those men in that photo? In your office? Polnareff and those other two?"

Jotaro's eyes widened slightly, "The others," he swallowed thickly, "are Avdol, Kakyoin, and Iggy."

Dolly narrowed her eyes, "Wait, who's—"

Jotaro cut her off, "Avdol…was the African man, Kakyoin was the Japanese teen, and Iggy was the dog. And yes, Polnareff and the rest of them had stands."

That threw her for a loop. Animals could have them too? The thought alone was baffling, so much so that she almost missed Jotaro's constant use of the word 'was'.

She thought on the picture, on how Jotaro looked in the picture, specifically. It was during his teenage years—a time she could admit she knew very little about. Jotaro was a very private man, never really elaborated on his past, even with prompting. Hell, back when they were dating, Holly was—and still is, sometimes—her main source of information for Jotaro's life in Japan. Actually…now that she thought about it, Holly hadn't really mentioned much about Jotaro's life during the tail end of his highschool years—she would always just say, 'Oh, he got in a couple spats here and there, but nothing special!' But there was always a nervous tinge added to her smile when she talked about those days. Dolly had always assumed it was because those 'spats' were more serious than she'd let on, but when she considered the fact that, around the same time, Jotaro gained—earned?—his Stand…

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Dr. Kearne stepped inside once more, "Ah, Jotaro, Mrs. Kujo, glad to see you're up and about."

Dolly jerked her head back at the doctor's words. Wasn't he just here? And why'd he call Jotaro by his first name? And…there was something about his face that rubbed her the wrong way. She spared a glance at Jotaro, but he was too busy glaring at the doctor, carefully following his every move.

Dr. Kearne bent down in front of Jolyne's heart monitor, "Hmm…that looks interesting."

Dolly gasped upon seeing the doctor's reflection on the monitor, things locking into place. "Doctor…did your nose shrink?"

Dr. Kearne grunted, crossing his eyes to look at his nose. He wiggled it, "Huh…suppose it has."

Just then, Jotaro blurred into movement. One moment, he was standing at her bedside; then next, he was standing beside Jolyne, Star Platinum hovering in front of them, fists outstretched. The 'doctor' let out a pained grunt as he crashed into the wall.

'Dr. Kearne' rubbed his chest gingerly, "My, my…you've gotten faster over the years, Jotaro." Suddenly, his body melted into yellow goo.

"Rubber Soul," Jotaro growled, "Thought you drowned in Singapore."

"Oh, you'd have liked that, wouldn't you?" the now named Rubber Soul snarled, face bursting forth from the goo. Dolly couldn't hurt but jerk her head back in shock. His face, well, it looked like he tried, and failed, to break a brick wall with it. His nose was bent at a perpendicular angle, he was missing a number of teeth, and he had a lazy right eye.

"Why are you here?" her husband said, "Why now? Awful long time for vengeance."

"Not by choice, believe me," Rubber Soul sneered, "The Speedwagon Foundation picked me up a little after you left me to die! Stuck me in a cell for weeks on end!"

Jotaro's eyes, if at all possible, narrowed further, "Then how did you escape?"

"Actually, I was put on probation."

"Bullshit," Jotaro deadpanned.

"Well, they didn't let me out _here_ ," he scowled, "I was in bumfuck Arizona before I gave my handlers the slip. I was about to get myself a boat down to Cuba, only to see you rush into this very hospital." He chuckled, "I was hoping to find you lying in one of these beds, but this," he sneered at Dolly and Jolyne, "this is much better."

Dolly shivered at his stare, shifting her eyes towards her daughter, only to gasp in horror. "Jolyne!"

Jotaro whirled around, sucking a breath at the sight of a thin ring of yellow goo on their daughter's neck. At once, Star Platinum rushed forward.

"Ah, ah, ah, Jotaro," Rubber Soul mocked, "You don't wanna do that. 「Yellow Temperance」 has embedded itself in your precious child's little neck. Can't tear it off without taking a good bit of her throat along with it."

Dolly saw red, and given the way Jotaro grit his teeth, chest heaving, he was very much the same. He looked over his shoulder, "What do you want?!" he spat.

Rubber Soul flinched, but a cocky smirk quickly found its place back onto his face. "I just want one thing Jotaro, one thing and then I'm out of your hair, forever." His arms burst out from his goo cocoon, gesturing dramatically at his face, "I want you to fix my face!"

Dolly and Jotaro blinked once, twice, before simultaneously asking, "What?"

"You ruined me, Jotaro!" Rubber Soul cried, "You and your damned Star Platinum. But now, you're going to pay me back, in full!"

Dolly gaped at the man. Then, she shook her head, "Hold on, let me get this straight," the two men's attention turned to her. "You broke into this hospital," her voice steadily rose in intensity, "literally stole a man's identity, and attached your damn goo-thing to my daughter's neck," she saw snarling now, "because you want a nose job?!"

Rubber Soul blinked, "Well when you put it like that…"

"Are you kidding me?!" Dolly shouted.

She then gasped, goosebumps rising all across her body. There was a burst of light from her chest, and a humanoid figure rose forth.

"Huh, so you're a Stand User as well," Rubber Soul said.

Dolly mostly ignored him in favor of observing her newfound Stand. The most obvious aspect was the fact that it—she? It is a physical manifestation of her own soul, after all. Plus, it had a clearly feminine figure, complete with mannequin-like breasts! She eventually decided to stick with 'it' for now—was red from head-to-toe. Well, not completely red. It wore a cut, orange blouse with a tall, baggy turtleneck-like collar. There were also various shapes—diamonds, triangles, and circles colored black, blue, and green—dotting its arms, torso and legs, along with thin, spiraling black lines going from its waist, down the legs, ending at the tip of each toe. As for its head…it was just weird. Unlike Star Platinum, which had a fairly human, if oddly colored, head, her Stand was bald, with what looked like a pair of radar dishes sticking out where its ears should be. The only human-like thing about it were its lips. It also wore a green blindfold, which made Dolly wonder what that meant. Was it meant to symbolize that she was blind to the things around her?

She shook her head, opting to glare at Rubber Soul. Now wasn't the time for introspection.

The man in question blanched, "Hey now," his voice wavered slightly, "Don't get any ideas! Yellow Temperance is still wrapped around your kid's neck! Anyone so much as moves and she'll be bleeding out faster than you can blink!"

Dolly clenched her fists so hard she was certain her nails broke skin. It seemed that her Stand felt similarly, given the way it moved forward, bent over slightly, fingers curled inward.

Rubber Soul shifted his stance, "Hey, what did I just—"

But Dolly didn't hear him, focusing solely on her Stand. Suddenly, its jaw snapped open, like a nutcracker's. Its chest swelled slightly, and then it shrieked, directly at Rubber Soul.

Dolly jerked her head back with a startled cry, she could actually _see_ the soundwaves rushing forward from her Stand's mouth.

The window's and monitor's cracked and shattered, and Jotaro winced. To say nothing of Rubber Soul, who, after only four seconds of audial assault, was clutching his ears, eyes bulging as he cried, "Dear god! Make it stop!" Yellow Temperance was being affected too, given the way that it jiggled and squirmed, falling off his body and pooling at his feet.

Dolly gasped, turning towards Jolyne. "Jotaro!" she called out, pointing to the quivering, less solid bit of Yellow Temperance attached to Jolyne's neck.

" **Ora!** " Star Platinum cried, scooping up the bit of goo and flinging it across the room.

At Jotaro's relieve nod, Dolly eyed her Stand, which was still shrieking at Rubber Soul. "Uh…That's enough?" she called out uncertainly. That seemed to do the trick, though; it closed it's jaw with an audible _SNAP_ , floating backwards and disappearing into her body. Dolly shivered slightly, that would take some getting used to.

She turned to face Jotaro, only to find that he'd already rushed forward to Rubber Soul. Star Platinum held him by his neck, a few feet away from the yellow puddle that was his Stand. Dolly winced when she caught sight of the blood trickling down his ears; but then she remembered that he threatened to kill her daughter. So fuck him.

"P-Please," he whimpered, a bit of snot running down his nose, "Don't punch my face!"

Jotaro clicked his tongue, "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to touch your face."

He actually smiled a bit, until he caught saw that Star Platinum's lips were pulled back into a cruel smirk. Star Platinum cocked it's fist back, slowly curling its fingers into a fist. " **ORA!** " it cried, ramming its fist into Rubber Soul's shoulder. " **ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!** " it continued, fists ablur as it punched Rubber Soul's body again and again.

Dolly was taken aback. Not by the brutal beatdown—again, fuck him—but by the utterly tranquil, if furious, look on Jotaro's face. It provided a stunning contrast to Star Platinum's…joy, for lack of a better term.

Star Platinum ended its assault with one final " **ORA!** " sending Rubber Soul's battered body through a wall, legs dangling limply as his stand disappeared from view.

Just then, the door burst open, and half-a-dozen SWF agents rushed into the room.

Jotaro turned away from his handiwork, grunting, "You people are terrible at your jobs."

Dolly couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Ngh…Mama?"

"Jolyne!" Dolly cried, leaning over, only to, once again, be reminded of the IV stuck in her arm.

Thankfully, Jotaro picked up the slack, rushing forward and kneeling at Jolyne's bed.

Jolyne blinked, "P-Papa?"

Jotaro blinked back, "…Hey."

Dolly grimaced at the interaction.

Jolyne looked around, "W-Where are we?" She then gasped, seeing Star Platinum hovering above then, "What's that?!"

The SWF agents moved forward, but Jotaro waved them off, never taking his eyes off Jolyne. He then, slowly, gestured to Star Platinum, "It's alright. Star Platinum won't hurt you," he swallowed thickly, "If anything…it'd die to keep you safe."

Jolyne paled, eyes widening, "Wha-What? No!" she stared up at Star Platinum, "You don't have to do that!" she cried.

Dolly smiled as Jolyne frantically waved her arms in front of a stoic Star Platinum, pleading with it to not do anything crazy.

 **A/N: I don't know how other authors do it, but I'm only going to include the special** **「** **Stand Brackets** **」** **only when a stand is first introduced. Gets annoying otherwise. Also, are Stands gendered? I mean, I don't think so, but I remember the dub/English translations sometimes give the more humanoid Stands gender specific pronouns. Regardless, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Little Talks

 **Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is the property of Hirohiko Araki…I'm not even going to try and mention all the owners of whatever songs are used.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

 **Line Break**

The doctor—a new one, considering the state their previous doctor was found in—pressed a tongue depressor down on Jolyne's tongue. "Say 'aah'," she said.

Jolyne—tired of the tests, given the way she rolled her eyes—did so half-heartedly.

When the doctor pulled back—allowing Dolly to pull their daughter back into her grip—Jotaro asked, "Anything wrong with her?"

He could see Dolly scowl out of the corner of his eyes; annoyed at his word choice, most likely. He resisted the urge to sigh—what, was he supposed to be patient after a foe from his past showed up and threatened their daughter's life? For that matter, who else should he expect to show up?

His heart stilled—Alessi, Steely Dan, the D'Arby brothers—he'd left so many of those people without checking whether they were alive or dead. Sure, if Rubber Soul was being honest, then the Speedwagon Foundation detained them, but Rubber Soul had also escaped, and been on the run for at least a week. Would anyone have told him about that? Why _didn't_ anyone tell him about that?!

The doctor's words tore him away from any deeper introspection. "She's healthy, far as I can tell. Might want to keep an eye on her tonsils—saw a bit of inflammation—but she—and you," the doctor gestured to Dolly, "should be good to go in a couple hours."

Dolly smiled gratefully, thanking the doctor as she left. When she finally did exit the room, Dolly looked down at Jolyne, "You feel good enough to go home?"

Jolyne smiled at her mother, "Yup!" That smile then faded as she turned to Jotaro, turning into a nervous grimace, "Are you coming with us?"

Jotaro pointedly ignored the look on Dolly's face. Good grief was he really _that_ bad. He shoved those thoughts away, nodding.

Jolyne's grimace disappeared, lips curling back into a wide, bright smile.

Jotaro's lips quirked upward, before settling back into a stony frown; there was still one thing he needed to check.

"Jolyne, Dolly" he began, summoning his stand, "we were interrupted before we could really talk about this."

Jolyne yelped in fright, gripping tightly onto Dolly, until Star Platinum fully formed, hovering beside him. She stared incredulously at Star Platinum, "How did you do that?!"

"Yeah, how do you do that?" Dolly added.

Jotaro thought for a moment, recalling Star Platinum—he'd never had to explain how he called out Star Platinum, it just happened. He shrugged, "I just…want it to appear, and it does."

"Do you have any actual advice?"

"No."

Dolly rolled her eyes, "And your mother wonders why you didn't become a teacher," her tone was exasperated, but he could recognize the smile playing on her lips.

God…how long had it been since he'd seen that? Too long, he decided.

He propped his left arm up, cupping his chin. He called out Star Platinum, then recalled it. Again, and again. By the fifth go, the usually stoic Stand was glaring at him in annoyance, but Jotaro had what he needed.

"You feel a pull on your gut," he told his wife and daughter.

Dolly frowned, staring down at her stomach, "I did feel _something_ like that earlier."

"Try it again."

She shifted away from Jolyne slightly, eyes screwed shut in concentration. Then, a tell-tale flash of light erupted from her back, bringing her Stand into existence.

Jolyne—who had previously leaned back in shock—now stared earnestly at the Stand. "…It looks weird." She eventually stated.

Dolly chuckled, "I guess…what's its name?" she directed the question at Jotaro. He shrugged, prompting her to ask, "Well how do I find out? How did Star Platinum get its name?"

Jotaro hoped that he didn't outwardly grimaced. "A friend, Avdol, named it for me. Based on Tarot cards."

Dolly frowned, staring at her Stand, "…Do you have a deck."

"You don't have to follow the same convention," he crossed his arms, "But I've never met anyone who gave their Stand an actual name—you know, John, Mary, Richard, that sort of thing."

Dolly pursed her lips, rubbing her index finger across her thumbnail like she always did when mulling over a problem. "Okay then…give me a—Ah!" she suddenly cried, cupping her hand against her cheek.

Star Platinum rushed forward on impulse, hovering protectively over Dolly, fists primed and ready to go. Only to stop as it—and Jotaro—stared at Jolyne. The young girl was leaning up, pinching one of Dolly's Stand's cheeks, a guilty expression on her face. Immediately, she pulled back, tears in her eyes, "I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed.

Dolly smiled softly at her, "It's alright sweetie," she rubbed her cheek, "just didn't expect that is all."

"Probably should have mentioned; anything a Stand experiences, their User will experience as well. A cut, a punch, a rock" he shortly listed off.

Dolly's eyes widened, " _Anything_?"

He shrugged, recalling Star Platinum, "Basically. If they're humanoid, at any rate," he added as an afterthought.

Dolly waved her hands, "Okay, you're dumping a lot of information on us at once, could you dial it down a bit?"

Jotaro nodded, "Fine. Jolyne," he tried not let the fact that she flinched get to him, "Try and summon you're Stand."

Jolyne stared at him, nodding after a moment. She shut her eyes tight, enough to mess with the rest of her face, and she grunted in effort. She did that for a minute.

Dolly sidled a glance at Jotaro, "Nothing's happening."

"Well…she could have a non-humanoid Stand."

"What are those like?"

"Anything really," Jotaro admitted, "A puddle of water, a shadow, a car."

"A c—she's _six_!"

"Then it'd be a toy car."

Dolly shook her head, "That's not the po—oh my god!"

For what must have been the tenth time today, Star Platinum reflexively shot out from his body. Only to stop and stare at Jolyne's hand.

Jolyne opened her eyes at her mother's scream, "Wh—What's wrong?!"

"Y-Your hand!"

Jolyne stared at her hands, shrieking when she saw that they had unraveled into floating strands of string.

From behind them, the door slammed open.

" **ORA!** " Star Platinum cried, rushing forward and throwing a punch out. Thankfully, it stopped before it broke the jaw of the SWF agent that burst in. But the wind from the blow did mess up the agent's hair.

"We're fine," Jotaro said, still staring at his daughter's hand.

"Bu—"

"We're fine," he repeated more forcefully.

"O-Okay then," the agent replied, backing out and closing the door.

Jolyne—left hand still unraveled into string—started to hyperventilate, and Dolly wasn't doing that much better.

Jotaro sighed heavily, "Good grief," he muttered walking forward and kneeling in front of Jolyne. "Hey," he said, frowning when she ignored him, "Jolyne," again, she ignored him, "listen to me," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, which finally turned her attention to him. "Calm down," he stated, "You're safe."

"No I'm not! Look at my hand!"

Jotaro shook his head, gently grabbing her wrist, "This only happened after you tried to summon you're Stand, right?" She was still breathing heavily, but nodded all the same, "So that means that this is just part of your Stand's abilities, something you can control. Calm down, and concentrate. It's _your_ Stand, _you_ are in control."

Jolyne's breathing slowed down, and she sucked in a deep breath. At the same time, the strands coming from her hand—previously wriggling about wildly—stilled, eventually coiling back down and reforming her hand.

Jotaro smirked, rubbing his thumb across her reformed palm, "See? You did it."

Jolyne beamed at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug, "Thank you!"

Jotaro stilled, slowly wrapping his arms around her body. He grunted wordlessly, pointedly ignoring the wide smile on his wife's face.

 **Line Break**

"So, they're safe?"

Jotaro bit back a groan, "Yes woman," he sternly said into his phone, "how many times do I have to say it?"

"As many times as it takes!" his mother said in her annoyingly excitable tone. "But I suppose it's to be expected. Both of them are strong, capable girls."

Jotaro frowned as his mother's tone grew softer, almost melancholy. "Hey—"

But she cut him off, returning to her chipper tone, "And you say Jolyne can turn her body into strings? Oh, you should take her to visit Papa, he'd get a laugh out of that, probably teach her some of his rope tricks!"

Jotaro grunted, "How is the old man?"

"Oh, he's fine!" He wasn't, actually. Joseph Joestar was getting old. Everyone knew it, but no one—not even Jotaro—was willing to admit it. "He's having a blast with Uncle Smokey. Hey, you three should come over! Georgia isn't that far, after all."

Drive a minimum of four hours to watch a couple of old men reminisce while surrounded by a bunch of people he didn't know? Not a chance. And he told her as much.

"Jotaro," his mother whined, "When was the last time we were all together as a family? Does Jolyne even remember meeting Nana Lisa Lisa."

"She's still alive?" he couldn't keep the shock out of his voice. His mother merely hummed an affirmative. "Well, whatever. I'm not taking Jolyne out of the house for the rest of the week unless it's an emergency."

"Alright. Give them my love!"

"Sure."

"And I love you, Jotaro."

"Yeah, yeah," Jotaro ended the call.

"You could've waited until I talked to her."

Jotaro looked over his shoulder, placing the phone on the receiver, "You don't need her nagging in your ear for an hour. Jolyne ready for bed?" Dolly nodded. "Any more incidents?" he asked as he walked towards their daughter's room.

She hesitated, "I caught her before she could try and unravel her hand hold her toothbrush with it."

Jotaro sighed, "Good grief." Dolly just giggled.

They stopped just outside her room, the door closed. Jotaro eyed the door, noting the butterfly and starfish stickers on it—how long had those been there? "Jolyne, you ready?" Dolly's words startled him, he must've been staring longer than he thought.

"Yeah," came their daughter's muffled.

Thankfully, aside from a new stuffed toy here and there, her room was unchanged. Jolyne sat at the foot of her bed, wearing black pajamas splattered with multiple green and blue butterflies. She smiled brightly at them, too brightly.

Dolly stepped ahead of him, hand on her hips, "Young lady, what were you doing?"

"Nothing..."

Jotaro grunted, eyeing his daughter, "Don't mess with your Stand while neither of us are around."

Jolyne's smile dipped into a frown as she looked down at her feet.

Dolly sucked in air through her teeth, lightly smacking Jotaro's arm. "What your father means," she frowned at him, before smiling back at Jolyne, "is that we don't know the extent of your…abilities right now." She gently cupped Jolyne's chin, lifting it until their eyes met, "Go to sleep; tomorrow we'll have the whole day to see just what you can do."

Jolyne sighed but nodded all the same. Dolly smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss against Jolyne's forehead. She then stood, allowing Jolyne to move around and get under the covers. As Jolyne was settling in, she eyed Jotaro, jerking her head towards their daughter.

He tried not to roll his eyes; he wasn't an idiot. Nevertheless, he walked over, stopping just as Jolyne pulled her covers up to her neck. He sighed, kneeling down. She stared up at him, eyes wide and swimming with uncertainty. He grunted, gently patting her head and leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Good night." He then swiftly rose, walking out the room.

By the time Dolly made it to their bedroom, he'd already changed into an undershirt and pair of sweatpants. She huffed, "Man, I thought she was becoming more of a handful, but now that she can unravel her body like it was made of string?" she laughed, a bit hysterically perhaps, and started to change into her nightgown.

Jotaro hummed in response, "It'll be fine."

"Well, now that you're around." She paused, adding in a soft, tiny voice, "You will be around, right?"

Jotaro sighed, sitting down on the bed, "…Yeah. I," he swallowed thickly, "I only…I only stayed away because of people like Rubber Soul."

Dolly snorted, sitting down behind him, "Yeah, psychopaths are a real common problem."

"Not like that," he grunted, "Stand Users…are drawn to one another. I mean…You remember when we took Jolyne to that preschool, the first one?"

"Yeah, there was a fire before we could regis—" her words died in her throat, "You mean…"

Jotaro nodded solemnly, "It was a janitor—called his Stand「Liquid Days」. It allowed him to replace liquids in containers with another type nearby—within fifty meters, I believe. Anyway, tried to light me on fire by replacing all the juice boxes with gasoline." Jotaro shook his head, "That's when I decided that it'd be better if I wasn't around too often."

Dolly let out a strangled laugh, "Jotaro…how many times have you almost died?" Her slightly unhinged smile faded when he didn't' answer her. He gulped, "R-Regardless, that was a freak thing. It wasn't your—"

"I'm the one who suggested the school, remember?"

Dolly sighed, laying her head on Jotaro's shoulder, "Well, why didn't you tell us—me, at least?"

He sighed, leaning his head against hers, "Didn't think it was worth it to make you panic over something you literally couldn't see."

Dolly hummed, the vibrations sending a shiver down his spine, "…Fair enough."

Jotaro clicked his tongue, "C'mon, you need rest." Dolly groaned her agreement, lying down, sidling closer when he did the same. She took a deep breath, hugging him close, "How long has it been since we fell asleep at the same time?"

Jotaro winced, ignoring the guilt stabbing at his heart, "…Go to sleep," he eventually replied.

Dolly hummed but stayed silent. Jotaro closed his eyes, lulled by his wife's steady breaths.

"By the way," she mumbled groggily, "why'd you get into a fight with that janitor?"

Jotaro's mouth went dry. No, he couldn't tell her the truth. Couldn't tell her about _him_ , not yet. "He…The man was just crazy. Didn't like the look of my face."

"Hmm, but you've got such a handsome face," she slurred her words, and soon after, snored her way into dreamland.

Jotaro tried to do the same.

 **LINE BREAK**

Jotaro grunted at neon lights shone in his eyes. He growled, rubbing his eyes and blinking the shock away. He looked up, a pit forming in his stomach at neon signs saying English and Arabic words atop beige brick buildings.

Cairo.

And that could only mean…

"Ah, finally!"

Jotaro froze, slowly turning his heads towards the slick, oily voice.

DIO stood tall, smirking cruelly over his grandfather's desiccated body, blood dripping down his hands. DIO lifted his hand, moaning as he licked his grandfather's blood off his fingers, "Ah…Jojo's blood was better, but Joseph's has a delightful tinge to it, must be the age."

Jotaro clenched his fists; that _bastard_! He'd pound his head into fucking paste!

"Though I do wonder," DIO's eyes narrowed to slits, "What if I go in the other direction?"

Jotaro's face scrunched up in confusion, only to slacken as the word, "Papa?" filtered into his ears.

He turned, breath coming out in short gasps, to see the sight of Jolyne, his baby girl, cowering in the middle of the street. "Papa, where are we?"

"Yes, 'Papa'," DIO jeered, "by all means, tell her!" Jotaro said nothing. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he summoned Star Platinum, his Stand erupting forth with a fierce ' **ORA**!'.

DIO chuckled, striding forward, "Not going to say anything? Very well, I'll say it," he turned his cruel smirk towards Jolyne, who whimpered, "You're in hell, child."

Jotaro broke into a sprint, "This isn't hell, but you'll be going there soon enough!"

DIO just laughed, pointing grandly at Jotaro, "Big words, Jotaro! But wherever we are, be it Heaven, Hell, and everything in between, time shall always bend to my will." He summoned his Stand, which wore a demented grin of its own, "「The World」!"

Everything stopped.

Jotaro glared as DIO sauntered forward, _"Smug bastard_ ," he internally seethed, _"Let's see you smile after I knock all your teeth down your throat!"_ He'd only have a second, but that was he needed.

When DIO stepped within a foot of Jotaro and Star Platinum, they struck! Only for fear to seize Jotaro's heart as Star Platinum's arms barely moved a centimeter.

"Hmm?" DIO leaned forward, staring at Star Platinum, "Was that it? Why Jotaro, that wasn't even a second!"

" _I-I don't understand! I can move for at least a second within frozen time!"_

DIO tsked, summoning The World, "Having a hard time rising to the occasion? What a SHAME!" he punctuated the word by having The World shoot its arm forward, directly into Jotaro's chest. The World pulled back as DIO laughed, "Hah…Time moves forward once more."

Jotaro cried out as the full extent of his injury rushed forward in an instance, forcing him backwards into the street.

"Papa!" Jolyne shouted, running forward.

Jotaro gasped, blood pouring out from his mouth, "S-Stay away…"

"Oh, how cruel of you, Jotaro," DIO walked forward at a leisurely pace, "Trying to force a child to die alone."

Jotaro growled through the pain, summoning Star Platinum to deliver an uppercut on DIO's chin. Only for The World to block the blow with a devastating chop, breaking Jotaro's hand in the process.

DIO sighed as Jotaro writhed in pain, "Now that was just sad. I've seen children throw faster punches." He zeroed in on Jolyne, "Speaking of…"

Jolyne cried out, torn between scrambling away and staying close to Jotaro. Not that it mattered, when DIO grabbed her by her neck.

Jolyne struggled futilely in DIO's grasp, "L-Let me go!"

DIO just laughed, running his freehand along Jolyne's neck, "You know, I've never really gotten the hang of doing this to children," he eyed Jotaro, leveling his nails against Jolyne's throat, "It always far too quickly for my liking."

Jotaro gurgled blood, but he wasn't even lucky enough to black out as DIO dug his hand into Jolyne's neck, her screams piercing the air.

 **LINE BREAK**

Jotaro awoke with a start, shooting up from the bed. His heart hammered in his chest as he whirled around, Star Platinum hovering protectively above him.

It took a moment for the haze of the nightmare to fade away, and Jotaro sighed in relief when he realized he was still at home. His wife and daughter were safe.

Right?

Dolly was easy to check. She was laying right there on the bed, curled in on herself. Blissfully unaware of what Jotaro was going through. Good, no need to worry her about something she had no control over.

As for Jolyne…

Jotaro carefully crept through the house, Star Platinum floating right beside him. He carefully opened her door, tension flying out of his body at the sight of her snoring beneath her sheets.

He gently shut her door, running a hand through his hair. When he lifted his head, he found himself face-to-face with his Stand. It's bright eyes seeming to stare into the core of his being. He dismissed it with a grunt, stalking towards the kitchen.

He'd always had nightmares about that night—and he doubted they would ever stop. But this one was worse than the rest. Not just because Jolyne was there—that part could have actually been worse, his mother and Dolly could have been there as well—but because he couldn't _move_ during the frozen time.

He pulled out chair, sitting down and leaning his against the table. He stared at his hand, Star Platinum's hand overlaying it. He took a deep breath, "Star Platinum: The World," he softly intoned.

His heart jumped, and his vision gained a dark blue hue. But within half-a-second time moved onward as it always did. He growled, clenching his fist. He'd gotten weak. He couldn't afford to be weak, not now. Not ever again.

"Jotaro," he jerked his head up, "what are you doing up?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

He averted his gaze, "Nothing. Couldn't sleep."

Dolly nodded, sitting down next to him. "You haven't had a nightmare this bad in a while." He said nothing. "Does it have to do with…Stands." Nothing. "Those people in the photo? Your mother?"

He froze, slowly turning to face her. She smiled mirthlessly, "I'm not an idiot Jotaro. You clammed up when you mentioned them, and when you talked about her Stand."

Jotaro swallowed thickly and let out a ragged sigh. Dolly laid her hand over his, "Jotaro, please. What's wrong? What happened?"

Jotaro narrowed his gaze, squeezing her hand and pursing his lips. "…It all starts in late 19th century England, with two young boys. Jonathan Joestar, my ancestor, and," he did his best not to scowl too deeply, "Dio Brando."

 **A/N: I just realized, I don't know how to write young children. Hopefully that won't be too much of an issue. As always, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Take On Me

 **Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is the property of Hirohiko Araki…I'm not even going to try and mention all the owners of whatever songs are used.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

 **Line Break**

Dolly stayed silent as Jotaro told his story. She was tempted—very tempted—to interrupt him; ask for clarification, greater details, or to simply _stop_. But she didn't do that. She couldn't. Not when he was pouring his heart out to her.

The beginning—after finding out that Holly was at risk of crushing herself to death—was actually fairly lighthearted. Even whimsical. Change the names around and it might make a decent book. But then he got to Cairo.

There was a shift in Jotaro's disposition; his jaw clenched, knuckles whitened, voice cracked, eyes teared. But still, he powered through it.

When he finished his tale, he relaxed. No, that's not right; it's more like he was so tightly wound that he had no choice but to release or risk breaking.

Dolly swallowed thickly, unsure what to do. Say 'I'm sorry'? She would have laughed at the thought under any other circumstance—Jotaro hates pity. Nor could she properly empathize with him—the only major loss she'd suffered in her life was her father's death, and he died of a stroke in his sleep.

Thus, she did the only thing she could do. She stood up, slowly making her way towards Jotaro. When she stood behind him, she laid her arms over his shoulders, leaning down and hugging his chest, resting her head upon his.

Jotaro sighed leaning back into her. "…I haven't even told my mother the whole story."

Dolly just smiled sadly, bringing her hands up to rub his shoulders. Eventually she said, "So…you can stop time."

Her husband chuckled, "Figures that's what'd stand out."

"Oh, a lot of other things stood out," Dolly said gravely.

A tense air filtered between them, until Jotaro coughed into his hand, "Anyway, yeah. Been able to stop time since that night."

"You still use it?"

"Not often." Something in his voice made her pause. She looked down, noting the light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Jotaro…" she teased.

He scoffed, "I haven't really used it in a few years, the ability's dwindled a bit—barely half-a-second," he sounded a bit bitter about that. But she didn't want to focus on that right now.

"What about more than a few years ago? Like when we were dating?"

He clicked his tongue, "Get over yourself!" but his blush was still present—it actually might have gotten worse.

Dolly searched through her memories, trying to recall instances that she'd written off as weird. One particularly glaring one came to mind.

Her face broke out into a wide smile, "What about that time during my junior year? Remember, that Mexican restaurant downtown? It was a busy night, people walking all over the place, our waiter ended up tripping over a little kid. And miraculously, our food didn't end up all over the floor." He tensed beneath her, "In fact, my soup hadn't even spilled a drop. Also, looking back, when we took Jolyne to her first check-up—"

"Good grief, woman, give it a rest!" Jotaro exclaimed.

Dolly laughed, the dark mood from Jotaro's past slowly dissipating. "Well, did you?"

He grumbled something beneath his breath, prompting Dolly to laugh once more. She then paused, another memory coming to light. She gasped, lightly smacking his shoulder, "You jerk!"

Jotaro looked up at her bewildered, "What?"

"You _let_ that smoothie spill on me?"

Jotaro's face scrunched in confusion, before understanding lit up in his eyes. Followed by an annoyed scowl, "Seriously?"

"Ngh, Mama, Papa?"

Dolly and Jotaro froze, then whirled around. "Jolyne," Jotaro said, "What are you doing out of bed?"

Their daughter tiredly rubbed her eyes, "You're too loud."

Dolly cooed, stepping away from Jotaro, "Oh, sorry sweetie."

"What were you talking about?" she mumbled sleepily, trying and failing to keep her eyes open.

Dolly smiled, sweeping up Jolyne in her arms, "We were…talking about the first time we met."

"Hmm," Jolyne grunted into her shoulder, "Never heard that before."

"Oh, really? Jotaro," she smiled icily at her husband, "Care to tell Jolyne the story on the way to her room?"

Jotaro huffed, and Dolly could swear up and down that he whispered, 'Good grief' under his breath. Dolly waited until he'd stepped in line with her, cocking a brow when he stayed silent.

He huffed again, rolling his eyes, "It was the second week of August, I'd just moved into my dorm in New York."

"Why?" Jolyne asked.

Jotaro grunted, "It's where I went to college. Your mother as well."

"Will I go there too?"

"You want to ask questions, or hear the story?"

Jolyne seemed to think for a bit, before shaking her head, clutching closer to Dolly, "Story please."

Jotaro grunted, "I was walking around the city, familiarizing myself with it. Stopped for lunch at a diner. Your mother was there as well, with a bunch of her," his expression grew a bit sour, "friends."

Dolly rolled her eyes with a huff; "None of us were that close."

"Didn't stop them from butting in on our dates."

Dolly scowled herself, before smirking, "They did make decent entertainment."

Jotaro chuckled, opening the door to Jolyne's room, "They certainly did."

"Papa," Jolyne said as Dolly strode to her bed, "The story."

"Right, right." He craned his head up at the ceiling, "Anyway, I was in line, looking at the menu, and your mother was walking to a trashcan across the way. Neither of us noticed the other, and she rammed into me, spilling her yogurt over both of us."

Jolyne, previously content with snuggling under the blanket, shot up, eyes wide, "What?!"

"Hey, I'm not finished," Jotaro teased with a smirk. Jolyne quickly closed her mouth. "Where was I...?"

"You didn't move out of the way," Dolly snarked.

Jotaro sidled her a glance, "You should have watched where you were going."

They stared at one another, before Dolly snickered, and Jotaro cracked a smile. "That was our first conversation," she told Jolyne. Their daughter giggled in reply.

"Anyway," Jotaro gently interrupted, "After that I wasn't in the mood to eat, so I left," he said with an air of finality.

It took Jolyne a minute to put it together, "Wait, that's it?"

"You asked about when we first met. That was it."

Jolyne pouted, "That's nothing like the movies."

Her father grunted, patting her head, "Life's not a movie. Now go to sleep."

Jolyne's pout increased, "You can't leave it at that!" she whined.

"I can, and I will," Jotaro said, crossing his arms. "But…I guess I can tell you another story tomorrow night. If," he added as Jolyne's lips pulled back into a smile, "you go back to sleep."

Jolyne narrowed her eyes, before nodding sharply. She then dropped back down, faking snores, one eye open. Dolly and Jotaro both laughed at their daughter's action.

He turned, pausing as he caught sight of a starfish doll behind the nightstand. In a flash, Star Platinum's arm reached forward, grabbing the toy. The rest of the Stand formed as it floated over to Jolyne, handing her the starfish.

"Thank you," she beamed as she accepted the toy from the spirit.

Star Platinum said nothing. Though it did nod at her before disappearing.

Jotaro looked over his shoulder, "Go to sleep," he said once more.

Dolly leaned down, pressing a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead, "Listen to your father. Love you."

"Love you too," Jolyne replied. She closed her eyes, drifting off into a much more natural slumber then before.

For the second time that night, Jotaro and Dolly left their daughter's room, settling into their own.

Dolly sat on the edge of their bed, a smile playing on her lips, "I forgot how much black you wore back then."

A snort, "Said the woman that wore plaid for three years straight."

"Didn't keep you away."

"No," Jotaro's voice grew soft, "No, it didn't." Dolly was about to say something, when Jotaro suddenly said, "Did I ever tell you why we started dating?"

Dolly blinked, "Uh…something about owing each other dry-cleaning?"

"Guess not," Jotaro mumbled beneath his breath. Aloud, he said, "It's because you were the first girl I'd ever met that didn't put up with my bullshit."

"Um," Dolly narrowed her eyes, bemused, "Could you elaborate?"

Jotaro sighed, shifting over to look her in the eyes. "Back in Japan, and here in America too, girls just…stopped functioning whenever I was around."

Dolly scoffed, "Jotaro, come on."

"I would literally yell at them, and I quote," he began earnestly, "'Shut the fuck up, you annoying bitches'. And they just simpered and begged for more."

Dolly stared at her husband, "…Oh my god, you're serious." He nodded. "I don't…that's crazy." But even as she said that, she could recall instances where Jotaro was rude to some random woman—waitresses, roommates, other students—and they would flush and…and good lord, the _squealed_ in response.

"Exactly! And you were the first woman my age I'd met that didn't do that. Hell," he shrugged, "I half-expected you to punch me in that diner."

"I was tempted," Dolly admitted.

"And that was hot," Jotaro blurted out. Dolly jerked back at the blunt statement, and Jotaro looked down, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I was just…reminiscing, you know."

Dolly's heart swelled. She almost never saw this level of vulnerability in her husband—and she felt even better with the knowledge that she was the only woman, not related to him by blood, perhaps, that got to see him like that. It stirred all sorts of emotions within her. But one stood out above the rest.

She then remembered something Jotaro had mentioned earlier that day. "Hey, Jotaro," she began, fidgeting in place, "Could you…could you bring out Star Platinum. Please?" she added at his questioning glance.

Jotaro said nothing, but Star Platinum appeared nonetheless.

Dolly nodded, summoning her own Stand. It—she really needed to name it. Something to do with sound, maybe? —stared at her a moment, before gliding forward towards Star Platinum.

"What are you—"

"Shh," she quickly cut him off, their Stand inches away from each other.

Then, her Stand leaned forward, gently gripping Star Platinum's waist. It then brought its head forward, gently blowing into the Stand's ear.

There were two things that happened that brought Dolly a sense of glee. For one, Star Platinum's eyes widened, and its stoic face slackened in pure shock. Second, her husband let out a short gasp, a blush quickly coming to life across his face. He then growled, recalling Star Platinum and reaching over to grab Dolly.

She barely had time to recall her own Stand before his lips crashed against her own in a heated kiss. She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck. That moan turned into a soft whine when he pulled away, which redoubled back into a moan as he planted quick butterfly kisses on her neck, traveling downwards.

"Next time," he said between each point of searing contact, "don't debase our Stands like that."

Dolly just smirked, closing her eyes and running her hands in his hair, "Next time, we're keeping them out."

Jotaro froze, "…Good grief," he groaned, before returning to the task at hand.

 **Line Break**

Jotaro—despite his trip down memory lane and Dolly's utter disrespect for the sanctity of Stands—had to admit, last night was the best…everything he'd had in a long time. Putting Jolyne to bed (something he couldn't remember doing within the past year). Opening up to Dolly. And the sex…Not that he would give her the satisfaction of knowing that her little trick worked as well as it did.

It was these thoughts that brought a smile on his face before he even opened his eyes. That smile quickly faded away, however, when he heard the doorknob rattle.

His eyes shot open, and he looked towards the slowly opening door. He jerked his head to the left, silently cursing at his wife's barely covered form.

"Star Platinum: The World!" he harshly whispered.

His vision gained a blue hue.

Quickly, Star Platinum came to life above them, grabbing the sheets and harshly pulling them over Dolly. Jotaro's heart pulsed, and he could feel time start to move again, but Star Platinum had done enough. Thankfully, he'd already pulled the covers over himself sometime last night.

"Ma—Papa?!" Jolyne exclaimed.

Jotaro quickly waved his hand, "Quiet. Your mother's still sleeping."

Jolyne blinked tiredly at him, before her lips pulled back into a sleepy smile, "It wasn't a dream," she said under her breath.

Jotaro resisted the urge to sigh; he'd have a lot of work to do to make up for his constant absence. He then grunted, "You brush your teeth?"

"Yeah…" Jolyne said, wringing her hands and looking at her feet.

"Brush your teeth."

Jolyne whined, but left the room, closing the door behind her.

Jotaro sighed in relief; crisis averted. He turned towards Dolly, gently shaking her shoulder, "Hey." She moaned, shaking slightly, but not doing anything else. Jotaro narrowed his eyes, "Wake up," he stated.

This time, Dolly bent her neck, rubbing her face against his hand, "Give me five more minutes."

"Jolyne's up."

That got a reaction.

She gasped, rapidly sitting up. She then looked down, shrieking softly and pulling the sheets up to cover her breasts. "Jolyne! Sweetie—"

"She's not here," Jotaro calmly replied.

Dolly swiveled her head, brow furrowed in confusion, "Wha—"

"She was here earlier, but I sent her away before she could question anything."

"Then why—"

"You weren't getting up."

She scowled, smacking his shoulder, "Jerk."

Jotaro merely grunted, shifting the covers and getting out of bed, "It worked."

Dolly sighed, then winced, bringing a hand down to rub her legs, "Gonna be walking funny for a bit."

Jotaro coughed, cheeks heating up, "Uh…sorry."

"It's not bad," Dolly quickly stated. A dopey smile came to life on her face, "Trust me, it's worth it."

Jotaro smiled fondly at her, which then turned into a frown as a thought formed in his head. Good grief, he hated that he had to ask; "Can Jolyne get her own breakfast?"

Dolly's lips briefly dipped into a frown, but she just shook her head, "No, bowls are too high up. Ah!" she gasped, pulling off the sheets, "Darn it! She's probably going to climb up the counter!"

But Jotaro stopped her with a raised hand, "Calm down," he said, reaching over and gently pressing down on her shoulder, "I'll get her breakfast. You…freshen up." With that said, he went about gathering some clean clothes to put on.

"What about you?" At his pointed stare, she blushed, "Oh…right," and quickly walked into the bathroom.

Jotaro shook his head, "Good grief."

After putting on his clothes, he headed for the kitchen. And just as Dolly predicted, Jolyne was trying to get on the countertop. She had moved a chair to assist her efforts, and already had one leg up by the time she noticed him.

She stared at him, eyes wide as dinner plates, "Um…" she trailed off.

Jotaro shook his head, narrowing his gaze, "Good grief, get off that."

Jolyne hastily did so, a guilty frown on her face. "I'm sorry," she said, looking down at her feet.

He sighed, "…I don't really have any room to lecture you, but I know your mother has told you not to climb on the countertop." She nodded an affirmative. "So, why'd you do it?"

Jolyne wrung her hands together, mumbling something.

Jotaro frowned, "Speak up."

Jolyne gulped, lifting her head up, "Mama's always sad when she wakes up alone." Jotaro stilled, but Jolyne continued on, "She thinks I don't notice, but I do. She's always frowning in her sleep."

" _Christ kid,_ " Jotaro thought, _"Tear my heart, why don't you?_ "

"But this morning," he returned his attention to his daughter, "she was smiling, and…" she trailed off, fidgeting in place.

"You thought you'd let us sleep-in, make your Mom a little happier?" Jotaro concluded.

Jolyne nodded hesitantly.

Jotaro pinched the bridge of his nose, crouching down to meet Jolyne's gaze. "Look," he began, "it's…sweet, what you wanted to do. But it's still stupid," he added, turning her hopeful smile into a disheartened frown, "What if you fell down?"

At that, her eye's brightened, "I have a, uh, Stand!" she exclaimed, unraveling the tip of her index finger into strings

The sight—the reconfirmation that his daughter was damned to a life of pain—made a pit form in Jotaro's stomach. He clenched his fist, taking a steadying breath, "Just because you have a Stand doesn't mean you're invincible." She opened her mouth, no doubt to retort, but faltered under his gaze. Eventually, she reformed his finger, clasping her hands in front of her stomach. "And," he hesitated, disbelieving that he was actually about to say, out loud, "I promise that I'll…help keep your mother smiling."

Jolyne stared at him, before nodding, "Okay," she stated. She then rushed forward, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

Jotaro stayed still for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her body, hugging her tight. After a moment of contact, he gently pushed her away, "Take a seat," he said, "I'll get you breakfast."

"Okay," Jolyne easily replied.

Jotaro stood, reaching to grab the bowl, before pausing. He opened a different drawer, nodding when he found what he wanted. "You want pancakes?" he asked.

"You can make pancakes?" Jolyne incredulously replied.

Jotaro rolled his eyes, heading for the fridge, "Good grief, of course I can. Who do you think taught your mother to make them?"

"So…you taught her to burn them?"

Jotaro's lips quirked up into a smile, "Never said she got the hang of it."

 **A/N: Don't know who started it, but I've read a bunch of stuff claiming that Jotaro's wife is older than him by a year or two. I guess because it'd be weird for him to get a woman who's still in college pregnant (he was 21 when she was born) …Anyways, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


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